The WC expands to 24 as well in 2027. Round of 16. 4 teams in a pool. 2 qualify plus 4 best runners up. The date of the draw as late as possible.
I know I did. It was the point.
The running of the competition is done by the 6 nations and SANZAR. Therefore when promotion and relegation kicks in 2030. Do you honestly think one of the big teams will be relegated. Rules will be changed by then.
No expansion of the game whatsoever. Closed shop.
It's a professional and the game is financially on its knees in places.
It also opens the pathway for countries outside of the top 12 (Fiji and Japan are bound to be the other 2 countries) to join the big time. Although what happens to the 6Ns if one of those countries is relegated?
Also the likes of Portugal and Uruguay will be guaranteed matches against some better teams than they would usually play which should aid their development.
I see the other thing is a Pacific Nations Cup for Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga, USA and Canada. Shame they didn't manage to fit Chile and Uruguay in. I know Uruguay doesn't border the Pacific but still, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Think you answered your own question there, really 😀
Just that.
Nations champions Cup has been approved in Paris all the Tier 1 voted for it apart from Argentina.
What's the point? Apart from Cash.
Goodness know how they'll figure it out, if the bid comes to be: that joint UK and Ireland euro kickball recently greenlit hasn't even decided how automatic qualification will work for 5 nations - or won't, as the case might be.
Italy would probably get the nod for sure by dint of already being automatic qualified anyway. As to the others, if it's gonna be 24 teams then Spain and Portugal could be added without disrupting Europe 1 and 2 too much.
I would add that in a 24 team tournament I'd be surprised if Spain and Portugal didn't both qualify anyway
That was going to be my question. Would you be a fantastic set of locations, if potentially difficult to travel around across three countries. However, it would need Spain and Portugal to qualify automatically. And hope Spain don't mess up some paperwork and end up getting kicked out...
I suspect the answer is no one knows. Though worth noting that in 1995 it was nominally a Welsh tournament and they were the only automatic qualifiers on that basis.
Do joint hosts automatically qualify?
Wasn't that typhoon rather unprecedented? Anyway, as @Podge_irl says above all else they shouldn't be repeating the host that soon after the last time. A "Tier 2" World Cup would be a fairly spectacular occasion, I hope the idea gains momentum and it's not just a random bit of aimless chatter.
Whatever about the weather, repeating the host so soon should be avoided if at all possible.
I'm not asking anyone to control the weather. I'm saying the nation that couldn't fulfil two of their fixtures last time out shouldn't get another shot - especially so soon.
In fairness, by 2035 September / October could still be Heatwave Season in Italy, Spain & Portugal, so you can't totally control the weather.
Japan should be told to f*ck off.
Was it two games they couldn't fulfil last time due to monsoon issues?
No thanks.
That'd be an amazing way to show support for Spain and Portugal's development; and as World Cup destinations they'd be top tier in all respects. You'd have to imagine Italy on its own would be a shoe-in, but making it a cooperation with some Tier 2 nations is a great idea.
Italy, Spain and Portugal reportedly planning a bid for the 2035 RWC.
https://www.rugbyworld.com/news/spanish-newspaper-discusses-a-joint-rugby-world-cup-bid-for-2035-161742
Could be pretty cool. Would be nice to have another tournament in Europe.
Japan also apparently interested in re-hosting. Would prefer the Italy, Spain and Portugal option.
Reckon we'll have reached a semi-final by then? 😂
Well in fairness, Italy regularly ship 50 points in the 6N but I don’t think anyone has done that to them. NZ are probably the most ruthless team in the world, against opposition who don’t turn up.
It does, though we have also beaten Wales 54-10, Wales have beaten Scotland 51-3, France have beaten England 53-10 in Twickenham not 7 months ago.
Was the Italy result slightly worse? yeah sure, but they are all pretty horrific one-sided matches.
New Zealand rugby lends itself unusually well to scoreboards snowballing.
New Zealand beat South Africa 57-0 in 2017
South Africa beat England 58-10 in 2007
New Zealand beat Ireland 60-0 in 2012
New Zealand beat Wales 55-3 in 2003
New Zealand beat France 62-13 in a quarter final in 2015
These results happen. Rugby lends itself unusually well to scoreboards snowballing.
There would be no need for two divisions with promotion/relegation, just two conferences with a few out of conference games (local derbies). The top four sides from each conference go into quarter finals. That way you avoid the damage that relegation can do.
Portugal and Spain are good but honestly they are many, many years away form competing in the 6N. The closest Tier 2 team, and the one with the strongest argument for inclusion in tier 1 is Fiji. Between 7s and bringing in qualified former internationals they belong at the top table. I think they'd beat Italy 2 out of 3 too.
Italy shipping 96 points to the All Blacks is some mess given the amount of money that has been invested in Italian rugby over the last 20 years. Genuinely believe if the same resources were distributed to other developing European nations, European rugby would have gotten way more bang for their buck.
SA just shifted their best teams from one international club competition to another, no major governance impact on the domestic setup or for the test team. While some English club owners would probably love to join the URC it would be a suicide mission for the RFU and for the international team. It's a hill the English union should be ready to die on. And Im not sure the other 6N unions would support such a breakaway, which is what it would be..
Guaranteed financial support is the only way that the Gordion Knot can be solved. If you remover the financial penalty for relegation, an expanded competition becomes more viable. Equitable revenue sharing is needed to grow the sport.
Could happen, in theory if not those countries: URC expands enough into a premiership and championship structure; with promotion/relegation play offs between the two leagues.
Of course it wouldn't happen for the same reason similar won't happen with the 6 Nations: the Scots/Welsh and Italian teams wouldn't want the threat of financial purgatory in dropping down to slum it with the Spanish or English teams.
But again, if rugby is to grow dot dot dot...
We incorporate teams from worse countries.......
Wales
